Weekend Preview: Oh, Right! The Emmys.

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (Fox, Sunday) — Jane Lynch hosts. I suppose, as a TV blogger, I should give more coverage to TV’s most prestigious awards show. On the other hand, I’ll take the Emmys seriously when they give me a reason to take them seriously.

Breaking Bad (AMC, Sunday) — I’ve said this before in other outlets, but even though I watch “Breaking Bad” and appreciate how good it is, I don’t particularly like watching it. For me, it’s like a Cormac McCarthy novel: I can acknowledge its brilliance while not necessarily enjoying its dark, bleak portrayal of humanity.

Karaoke Battle USA (ABC, Friday) — Hosted by Joey Fatone! Carnie Wilson’s on the judges panel! Oh, what did we do to please the television gods?

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, Friday) — Season premiere. Frankly, I find this just as distasteful and grating as the crap on Fox News, because Maher embodies the haughty condescension the political right always accuses the left of possessing.

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Agreed on Breaking Bad. I love watching it & enjoy the humor and suspense, but sometimes it’s just so hopeless. Like that movie The Road.

By: 0tarin

09.16.2011 @ 5:42 PM

Your thoughts on “Breaking Bad” are exactly how I felt while watching “The Wire”.

Unrelated note: I just realized that inane egg-eating “fund raiser” that the dueling douches are doing is taking place about half an hour away from me. Anyone know if the Russians still give discounts on functional nukes?

By: Deweather

09.16.2011 @ 5:45 PM

Agreed about Bill Maher’s show. He probably sees himself in the same league as Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, but he more fits in with Ann Coulter, Fox News, and Michael Moore.

By: Bobman

09.16.2011 @ 5:51 PM

I can see your point about Breaking Bad, but it remains one of the very few shows on TV where my ADD never kicks in. Most bullshit TV I end up staring at my iPhone, but I never even have the urge to pick it up during a Breaking Bad ep.

By: BrockEffnSamson

09.16.2011 @ 6:14 PM

I agree Maher is a blowhard. I think he at least gets the benefit of the doubt because he doesn’t look into the camera and blatantly lie. FOX News only has left wing soft targets on so they can yell at them how they’re ruining the country with their dirty socialism. I’ll listen to a dozen Bill Mahers before I even go near a Hannity.

By: Dux

09.16.2011 @ 6:15 PM

Thanks for the tip about Ms. Bechard. This post is definitely deserving of another “superfluous but delightful gallery.”

By: Steve

09.16.2011 @ 7:33 PM

Lol, I’ve been telling my dad for years that Bill Maher and Bill O’Reielly are the same person.

By: Unruly Ungulate

09.16.2011 @ 7:48 PM

Agreed on Breaking Bad (although I enjoy it a bit more), and Bill Maher — however, I do enjoy his show sometimes, when he has a good lineup of guests. Some of his regulars, like Elizabeth Warren, Cornel West, John Legend, and even P.J. O’Rourke, are pretty enjoyable to listen to.

By: GiantCrab

09.16.2011 @ 8:20 PM

Yeah, but Bill Maher is pretty funny.

By: Paxtexana

09.16.2011 @ 8:39 PM

I’d say Republican’s have earned a fair amount of condescension at this point.

By: Rapax

09.16.2011 @ 8:42 PM

Shera Bechard you say? Well what a coinkidink that I’m doing a fan blog on her with those totally unrelated pictures which often lack in clothes.

The thing with “Breaking Bad” I think, is that Walter White is now such a bastard, he has no good side left to him. At the start we understood his motives, but he’s so far gone now, that it’s uncomfortable watching this series based on him, that we now support Jesse and Mike more.

Still a brilliant show, but Walter White is such a twat now.

By: Mr. F

09.16.2011 @ 10:08 PM

GiantCrab is right.

My only problem with Bill Maher is that he’s an absolute fucking idiot about vaccination. Why hasn’t anyone called him out on the fact that over 18,000 people worldwide died from H1N1, and not a single person died has died from the vaccine against it. Douchebag.

Oh, where was I? If Steve Carell doesn’t win, the Emmys are the biggest fraud of any of the meaningless award shows.

By: essequemodeia

09.16.2011 @ 10:43 PM

I’m with Unruly. But nobody is more sanctimonious as O’Reilly. And Cornel West is the best guest ever, IMHO.

By: giantcowofdoom

09.17.2011 @ 3:07 AM

Matt, In regards to your description of Bill Maher.

Thank you! you said in one sentence exactly the problem with Maher. I will quote that in the future when people ask me why I think he is a dick.

He is also the only guest for craig ferguson to throw off his his (he has had him back since.) Craig did it in a classy way. He didn’t yell. He just ended the segment. I don’t even think Maher was aware he had offended ferguson. (link has clip start at important stuff) [youtu.be]

By: Brutus Ballsack

09.17.2011 @ 8:26 AM

Bill Maher: Blah, Blah, Blah – I hate poor uneducated white people.

Sean Hannity: Blah, Blah, Blah – I hate poor uneducated black people.

And on, and on, and on.

By: essequemodeia

09.17.2011 @ 10:31 AM

“He is also the only guest for craig ferguson to throw off his his”

Man, these spambots are getting sophisticated. I shall attempt to communicate:

“I’d say Republican’s have earned a fair amount of condescension at this point.”

When their presidential candidates are bragging about how stupid they are, like Rick Perry just did, then the rest of us can’t be blamed for talking to them like they’re stupid too.

Oh, and if your debate audiences cheer one candidate for executing hundreds of people and cheer another one for thinking sick people without insurance should just die, yeah, the rest of us get to talk to you like you’re children.

By: jason

09.17.2011 @ 4:19 PM

there’s difference between bill and fox news. he’s mostly right whereas fox is almost always right. i can tolerate condescension when it’s backed up.

By: essequemodeia

09.18.2011 @ 1:17 AM

FOX is almost always right?

By: SiGuy

09.18.2011 @ 2:38 PM

Maher may “embod(y) the haughty condescension the political right always accuses the left of possessing” but he also engages in a level of intelligent discourse that the political left always (accurately) accuses the right of lacking

By: Observerwwtdd

09.18.2011 @ 4:19 PM

The “Left” has been left behind in the arena of useful ideas…..

….and that missed train was a wagon train….

By: Marc

09.19.2011 @ 9:22 AM

“The “Left” has been left behind in the arena of useful ideas…..”

Was that sarcasm, or are you just an idiot?

By: Observerwwtdd

09.19.2011 @ 9:35 AM

Sarcasm…??

Facts, pal….facts…

By: yup

09.19.2011 @ 9:42 AM

The “Left” has been left behind in the arena of useful ideas…..

….and that missed train was a wagon train….

True, the left is pretty much void of ideas (unless you count “not dismantling our infrastructure” or “not going to stupid ass wars” as ideas). Unlike the rigth, which has lots of ideas. They just all happen to be shitty.

Every week, Maher has people on his show that he disagrees with, AND allows those people to speak their minds. Yes, he will disagree, but he often lets them have the last word before moving on to the next subject.

Name ONE conservative talking head who does that.

By: Observerwwtdd

09.19.2011 @ 10:53 AM

Every radio host on the air in Boston….

Jay Severin, Michael Graham, Dan Rea…..

how many more?

I don’t watch Maher….because he is creepy…..and I don’t watch National Fox TV…..nor do I watch much MSNBC et. al…..

but the local Fox channel constantly entertains the superstitions of the “left” (behind)

Conservatives are the ONLY ones thinking and debating in this country…

By: Ninja

09.19.2011 @ 10:57 AM

My God politics has gone stupid. Don’t you people have some football or American Idol results to bicker about?

By: essequemodeia

09.19.2011 @ 11:18 AM

Conservatives love Jesus and money. If you make less than 100,000/yr and you vote Republican you’re a fucking moron.

By: Biggus Rickus

09.19.2011 @ 12:11 PM

So conservatives are Jews for Jesus?

By: Observerwwtdd

09.19.2011 @ 3:02 PM

essequemodeia…….

…how do you figure THAT statement….??

…only an idiot or a liar believes that ANY left-wing program can work…….

By: Otto Man

09.19.2011 @ 3:31 PM

“Good wars” = Wars to help international socialism

Yeah, this guy has to be a spoof.

I don’t care how much of the Glenn Beck Paranoia and Pants Pissing Hour you watch, no one on the planet is legitimately this fucking stupid.

By: Otto Man

09.19.2011 @ 3:41 PM

I realize I’m way late to the party, but I’d love to hear about these brilliant ideas that conservatives have.

The Republican Party used to have ideas. Back in the 1990s, they came up with some innovative marketplace ideas to solve problems in health care and the environment — the Weicker health care approach in 1993 and cap-and-trade, which came from the Heritage Foundation — but as soon as Obama embraced them, these Republican ideas became “socialism.”

What ideas do they have now? Austerity economics during a recession? Brilliant. Tax cuts for “job creators” to spur the economy? Didn’t exactly work in the Bush era, did it? “Teaching the controversy” on evolution and denying global warming? Yeah, I guess those are “ideas” in the same way drinking paint is an idea.

Your party is run by know-nothings who brag about how bad they did in school and ideologically driven assholes who sneer about how leading scientists, economists, and scholars don’t know what they’re talking about.

And of course they do. Because as long as they shit on liberals, mouth-breathing fuckwits like you will clap your hands like a goddamn retard.

By: Observerwwtdd

09.27.2011 @ 11:18 AM

The left-wing Democrats trot out the sad little brain-farts each year…….and have done so since the LATE 1800s……

“I’m “progressive”….so let me live your life for you”…

Nuclear Winter becomes Global Warming….let’s control that..

Toilets….let’s cut water use to 1.6 gallons….even if you live in a rain forest

Light bulbs….OMG….stop the corporate 100 watt bulb….change to the 18 watt flourescent….we know SO much more than you….

Liberalism is a sad attempt by frustrated LOSERS who have no useful ideas….

any optimism….yes….the useless hippie pussies of the sixties are finally dying off and taking their PROVEN USELESS fantasies to the grave….